Adeline stared at the alert in front of her about Lor-Vold being under siege, balling her fist in silent rage. The surrounding men were in a flurry of motion as they began to pack up camp and make their way towards Lor-Vold. Cursing to herself, doubts beset her about Aldrin wondering if he was ok. She looked at the blue-black haired Bard soundly sleeping still, as the movement around the camp didn’t bother him. Clucking her tongue together, she lightly kicked Finston, startling him to a wakeful state.

“Let’s go, we have to get to the city,” she told him.

He looked around with sleepiness still in his eyes. “What’s going on?” He yawned and stretched upwards, letting a few pops roll off.

“We are going to save a city,” Grim determination glared in Adeline’s eyes.

“MOUNT UP!” she roared, watching the flashes of golden light bathe their camp as the Paladins summoned their warhorses with their Skills.

“Don’t stop until we get there! Everyone has their squads and assignments! MOVE!” Adeline shouted, watching as her men raced by to get back on the main road to Lor-Vold.

“Commander!” One of her men in a plume feathered helmet walked up to her.

“Yes, Officer?”

“The other half of our force have been notified and are on their way to Lor-Vold as we speak. Shall we depart as well?” He asked.

“Meet up with the other half, bring Finston with you so he can buff up their speed.” She said as she summoned her own warhorse.

System Alert! Canidir(Warhorse) has been summoned!

A towering and muscled cream colored warhorse trotted out from the light, raking his hoof on the ground, snorting haughtily. The smile action made Adeline’s face bloom into a smile as she went up and patted the horse on his flank. He sniffed her and then nipped at her hair bun that was at the top of her head. He kneeled down, allowing Adeline to climb and mount him before raising up again.

“Your command will be carried out milady,” The officer thumped his chest and bowed.

Canidir wheeled around and took off, trampling his way through the brush and onto the main road. It didn’t take long for them to catch up to the rest, bringing up the rear as they all raced towards the besieged city of Lor-Vold.

Meanwhile, back in the city, Aldrin arrived in the crowded streets of the city as people fended off their Undead attackers. Bodies littered the ground that were both fresh and rotten. People screamed as the Zombies barreled into the shops, tearing the buildings apart from the inside out. More Adventurers surfaced from further inwards of the city as they clashed with the oncoming tides of the Zombies. Aldrin looked around in the mass of chaos as the fires lit up the night sky. The ground rumbled beneath his feet, causing everyone to stumble as Death Gorgers bursted from the ground, showering the nearby buildings with the debris. Adventurers stared at the huge pale bloated corpse that had eyes running down its torso, while the lower half of it was a centipede.

More screams rang out into the night sky, but were soon drowned out by the victorious moans and groans of the Zombies as they began striking anything in their path with renewed vigor. Aldrin kept to himself and avoided the Adventurers and guards that began to attack anything that moved wrong. All around him, it was a battlefield, and the Zombies were slowly working their way towards the Research District gate, unbeknownst to the people defending the city.

Two Death Gorgers began to keep pace with Aldrin, bulldozing their way through friend or foe, escorting Aldrin to his objective.

“IT’S A NECRO!” Aldrin heard someone shout above the cries.

The mood of the battlefield shifted as the Adventures and Guards reigned themselves in and began to systematically dismantle the Zombie horde in search of the supposed Necromancer. Their effort turned to be in vain when two Giants bursted through an unbroken section of the wall, allowing more Zombies to pile in. Aldrin briefly stared in disbelief at the limitless number of Zombies that seemed to multiply by the second. Overwhelmed by the sudden influx, a few Adventurers began to run in the opposite direction of the battle, igniting the predatory instincts of the Zombies to give chase. Spurned on by the desire to hunt that was filling the air, Aldrin battled his own instincts.

Blood splattered across his face when one of the Death Gorgers impaled one of the guards with its forelegs. The taste of cherries inflamed Aldrin’s taste buds when he subconsciously licked the blood that sprayed on him. The freshness and warmth of the blood made Aldrin suddenly stop and savor the sensation. It caused his knees to buckle as he inhaled, the human part of him no longer screaming that it was wrong. The Vampire side of him, delighted in finally being set free as instincts took over making Aldrin succumb deeper into being a Vampire. He began to feel better as his body tensed and untensed, reveling in the anticipation of the oncoming hunt. Slowly, the human part of Aldrin, died, allowing his Vampiric features to take form.

The shift in the air was palpable as everyone stopped, including the attacking Zombies. Whispers from the horde tickled Aldrin’s ears, overlapping and saying one thing over, “He has come.”

Growling emitted from Aldrin’s frame as those closest to hear flinched at the sound that cut through the eerie crackling of the fires and distant screaming. The hairs of the living slowly raised regardless of their level as the very core of them realized that something much worse stalked the desperate defense of the city. Something that made the small animal part of their brains reactivate their primal urge to run. Zombies began clacking their teeth in anticipation, making the living set their teeth on the edge.

System Alert! For being a Higher Undead do you wish to assume command of this Horde? Y/N?

That snapped the rational part of Aldrin back to reality as ideas raced through his mind. A chance to mitigate the damage to the city while also having the power to stop the experiments. He selected yes, making time freeze as a hud overlaid his vision.

System Alert!

Temporary Command System Unlocked!

Race: Vampire

Rank: Juvenile

UPDATE!

Congratulations! For being a Progenitor, you are able to command Legions upon Legions of units.

New Command Status

New Rank: Progenitor

Special Rank: Bulwark: You inspire and lead your troops from the Frontline of any battlefield! Sound of the Hunt(Active): Gives all units under your command +3 to all Stats for the duration of the battle

Frontliner(Passive): Inspire those in a 1 yard radius around you (0/3 Battles Won for Upgrade)

Current Army Type: Undead - Zombies

Army Special Ability: Hive Mind

Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

Congratulations! You have collected a new Army Ability!

Hive Mind: Communicate mentally with your troops

Sub-Commanders:

Hyalfnar (Zombie Giant)

Ki'Saed (Death Gorger)

Hyde Hall (Spector)

Magenna (Ecilith)

The string of alerts bombarded his vision making him silently thank it for freezing time. This was definitely a new aspect of the System and added to the pile of mounting questions that were blooming in the face of the System. The other thought that came to mind was if these new aspects were only exclusive to the Vampire Race as a whole.

"STORM THE GATE!" Aldrin commanded without hesitation. The Zombies snapped back into action as they disengaged the stunned Adventurers and guards. The two Death Gorgers moved into action, moving in tandem with Aldrin as he beelined for the gate.

Arrows, crossbow bolts, and spells flew every which way, creating a haze of magical energy and ash. A bolt of lightning tore through a Death Gorger causing him to explode into a soup puddle. Aldrin hissed, looking further down the road to see a group of lightly armored and robed figures advancing slowly towards the battle. Another bolt of lighting streaked towards the other Death Gorger, causing a blinding flash that forced Aldrin's eyes shut.

"Reinforcements come from the skies to deal with the Mages. Keep pushing," a disjointed voice came through the fog of Aldrin's mind.

Faint screeching pierced through the air emanating from beyond the wall. The mages began chanting their spells as their gazes swept towards the air. Out of the darkness from over the wall, winged centaur Ghouls flew over the wall, shrieking as they descended upon the stunned melee.

Name: Ecilith Lancer Race: Ghoul

Level: 72

Aldrin watched in both awe and terror as the Eclitith skewered the defenders on their long lances. A few of them still galloped through the air, darting in and out, obliterating the lower leveled Adventurers. The coming of the Ecilith turned the tide in favor for the Zombies allowing the Zombie Runners to sprint forth towards the distracted Mages that were dealing with a few Eciliths.

The two Zombie Giants from before marched forth, trampling the city as Zombies swarmed around Aldrin, putting him in the middle of the Horde. He moved with them step by step, gaining ground as they pushed towards the Research District. The Horde didn't allow for any Adventurers to get close to see Aldrin. He had a sneaking suspicion that the Horde understood that a stray spell could end Aldrin quicker than he could react since his life saving Skill has already been used.

They bone rushed the gates, uncaring for their numbers dwindling. While Aldrin had control, it wasn't direct control, only a suggestion. Henceforth, the rampant destruction along the path they traveled. More roars sounded out behind him followed by another earthquake and explosion as another factory on the other side of the city blew up. Aldrin grimaced at the wanton destruction.

"We must defend until the Holy-" One of the Guards attempted before being swarmed and dragged into the waiting horde.

Aldrin heard enough to add unnecessary stress to an already stressful situation. If that was the case, then Adeline would come and probably stand a chance for a little bit before being overwhelmed. The stray thought hardened Aldrin's face. With the little training he had when he was with the Orc Tribe and their skirmishes with other Tribes, he wasn’t used to coordinated attacks.

He was thankful he didn't have to raise a blade against anyone but the Vampire in him still demanded blood. A thought that was sent subconsciously through the Horde. Soon, a badly wounded Adventurer was thrown at Aldrin's feet making him stumble in surprise.

"Feast. Strength has waned." The Horde whispered.

The tantalizing scent of oranges enamored his senses, the rapid heartbeat that transported the lively nectar dominated his hearing, and the white silhouette of life engrossed his vision. The Vampire purred in delight at the offering, a forced supplicant that reeked of fear when he stared at Aldrin.

"The only way to survive is to embrace it," Hyde floated up from beneath the ground, wearing a smug grin. The sliced neck wound oozed blood onto his overalls, repeating his death.

Without further prodding, Aldrin snatched the weakened Adventurer, draining him to a dried husk. The rush of fresh blood overwhelmed any sensibilities he had left as the tether to his humanity finally snapped. He roared, the primal base of it rang out making the Zombies roar in unison, cementing their Horde mentality with renewed vigor.

Irritation bubbled forth inside Aldrin at the gruff appearance of Hyde. "What do you want Hyde?" Aldrin bit out after his instincts finally stopped raging through him. .

"Just to congratulate ya fer going from Baby to Toddler and to also tell ya that the Horde's pincer attack, curtesy of ya," he tipped his straw hat at Aldrin, "has infiltrated the inner courtyard. There is heavy resistance and some golden mage that shoots lasers," Hyde spat out the last part.

"Tanyth," Aldrin growled.

A sly smile replaced his smug smile after watching Aldrin's reaction. "I see ya got some shit cake with the man?" Hyde leered.

"You can't beat him as ya are anyway. Ya need to be at least a Teenager by my standards to even scratch the man," he teased.

Anger flashed in Aldrin’s eyes at the backhanded remark, "I swear-"

"Don't get ya diaper twisted, I'm merely saving ya from getting turned into ashes. Hate to see ya that way as a Ghost," He smirked.

"Anyways, saw that ya took command, came by to see what happened that made ya change your mind." He crossed his arms, scrutinizing every inch of Aldrin.

"Justice," Aldrin coldly said.

"Huh… your kind always had this twisted sense of right and wrong. Some people viewed y'all as protectors and the bridge between life and death. Others thought y'all were a nuisance."

The little information Hyde shared abated some of Aldrin's anger, "And what about you?"

Hyde shrugged his shoulders, "Don't know. Only heard stories from my great grandpappy before he was killed by a Yarxik."

The anger he felt flooded back, "You've been judging me the whole time with only hearsay knowledge?!"

Hyde chuckled, "My great grandpappy was a Chronomancer, he was strong enough to share his memories as movies he called them." He scratched his head, tasting the word.

"He was from Earth. I thought we were the first here? Never mind."

"Can the Horde stop Tanyth?" He asked.

"If we pile onto him, yeah, but that would still be a severe loss to us. At best we can distract him fer ya to get in and out. Hoping our other brothers and sisters will fight with us still," Hyde said.

"And if they don't?"

"Then we are in a bigger mess and more than likely will die. Again," Hyde said matter of factly, facing forward floating along with the Horde that continued to swarm forth. For every three people that died, one arose as a Zombie adding more to their ranks.

Aldrin could feel when a new one awakened as the pulse that linked him to the Hive Mind of Undead would ping every so often. He worried that if he didn't make it in time, those left behind would rise again as Zombies would wander off into the rest of the city. Worse, if the Adventurers that initially ran from the fight back the way they came and told anyone that would listen that Zombies were attacking would cause a mass panic. That panic would then cause a stampede straight into the waiting arms of Zombies wanting to eat them.

"Well this wasn't what I expected when I agreed to lead," Aldrin said, shambling along with the Zombies that surrounded him.

"Welcome to being a Commander. Your kind is also considered precious as there aren't too many of you left," Hyde informed.

"Can you tell me more about Vampires?"

"Whatcha wanna know? Can't guarantee that anything I remember is fact since when ya die yer brain gets like scrambled eggs about the life ya lived."

"I need to know all of it, real or not."

"Yer best bet for facts would be looking up the Progenitor Wars from about 700 years ago. So many species went extinct. It's a damn shame really," Hyde shook his head as he remembered.

"What are the Progenitor Wars?"

Hyde whipped his head at Aldrin, "Whadduya mean what are the Progenitor Wars? They were what made the world today? They don't teach that in the big fancy cities no more?"

"Queen's Law not to speak of anything past 500 years."

"Well she's a right and left cunt ain't she." Hyde spat.

The ground shook again, as a stone wall erupted right in the middle of their Horde, effectively cutting it in half. Hyde shot off, phasing through the Zombies to make his way to the front where the earthen wall appeared.

The Horde circled around Aldrin, protecting him from any harm at the sudden threat. A magical glyph formation formed above the Horde. The surrounding energy grew as the glyph started rotating, building up power before unleashing a beam that tore through the front half of the Horde.

There, floating above the glyph after it dissipated was a golden skinned, tall, and thin figure. Blonde almost white hair was in disarray and bloodied. His long draping purple robe with black phoenix motifs was singed and torn. He peered down from his nose, sneering in disgust at the Horde. Tanyth had arrived with the gleam of a crazed mad High Elf.